Sean Penn Wins Third Oscar While in Ukraine

Sean Penn won his third Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on Sunday at the 98th Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles, but the actor was not present to accept it. Instead, he was in Ukraine, where he received a symbolic version of the statuette crafted from steel damaged in a Russian missile strike on a railway car.

The film "One Battle After Another," directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, dominated the evening with six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Casting. Penn earned the supporting actor prize for his portrayal of Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, a narcissistic military figure in the black comedy action-thriller. The movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and others, had a budget of $175 million and grossed $209.8 million worldwide. At the ceremony, last year's winner Kieran Culkin announced Penn's victory and accepted the award on his behalf, stating, "Tonight Sean Penn can't be here, or does not want to be here so I'll accept the Oscar on behalf of him."

Penn's absence from the Oscars, as well as from earlier events like the BAFTAs and Critics Choice Awards where he also won...